Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

It has been many years since I’ve been able to take a real vacation. So after years of just talking about a road trip, a few of my good friends (Gavin Culbertson and Yuefeng Deng) and I decided to take off and head south.

I left Rockford and picked them up in St. Louis. From there, we made the first leg of the trip to Louisville, KY where we were able to mooch a free nights sleep and plenty of food from my family. Once well rested, we headed to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. After a quick tour, we got back in the car and kept moving. We needed to make it to Walland, TN by the end of the night.

You see, Walland was the base camp for much of our trip. One of my trip companions and good friends, Gavin Culbertson, has an uncle and aunt that lives there in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. Yes, another free place to stay. But more importantly, they were full of what I like to call mountain wisdom that can’t be found in books or on the internet. Who else do you trust to draw roads on maps when you’re driving into areas with no cell phone or GPS service?

The first day, we followed them in our car straight into the mountains. We were headed to Max Patch in North Carolina. With a few stops on the side of the road of course for photo ops.

Shadows on a road in the Smokey Mountains. ©2011 Max Gersh

Since all three of us are photographers either in profession or hobby, it didn’t take long before cameras were photographing cameras.

Gavin Culbertson at Max Patch in North Carolina with his Canon 1D Mark IV video rig. ©2011 Max Gersh

And since I had just stared learning how to play the banjo, it was only fitting that I bring it on the trip to the south. Gavin’s aunt just about melted the strings when she played it on top of Max Patch. I aspire to be as musically talented as she is some day.

Gavin's aunt smoking the strings on my banjo at Max Patch in North Carolina. ©2011 Max Gersh

It might have been the next day that we drove the Foothills Parkway to Look Rock. It is just one of those places that is incredibly scenic and you can’t help but linger around just … well, looking. As you go up a foot path, you come to what appears to be an old fire tower. Although the hike is short, it is uphill at a decent grade. It reminded me how out of shape I am!

A road seen from the tower at Look Rock. ©2011 Max Gersh

That wasn’t our only trip down the Foothills Parkway. A day or so later, we found out why the Smokey Mountains are named as such.

The Smokey Mountains as seen from the Foothills Parkway near Wallad, TN ©2011 Max Gersh

We continued to Townsend, TN where we did a hike to Abrams Falls. Again, found out I’m way out of shape.

Roots in the ground on the hike to Abrams Falls. ©2011 Max Gersh

Yuefeng Deng at Abrams Falls near Townsend, TN. ©2011 Max Gersh

The problem with driving around in this part of the country is that there is so much to see. It seemed we were stopping regularly to hop out and photograph a stream or small waterfall.

Near Bald River Falls ©2011 Max Gersh

When we finally left Walland, we starting heading west towards Nashville. Gavin had more family just west of Nashville in Clarksville, TN. But there would be no fun in a drive straight there. We stopped at Fall Creek Falls State Park to do some more hiking (still out of shape) and camp.

Water shoots out of the side of a rock wall at Fall Creek Falls State Park. ©2011 Max Gersh

Fall Creek Falls is the tallest waterfall west of the Rockies at 256 feet.

Fall Creek Falls is the tallest waterfall east of the Rockies at 256 feet. ©2011 Max Gersh

Of course we had to hike to the bottom.

From left, Gavin Culbertson, Max Gersh and Yuefeng Deng at Fall Creek Falls. ©2011 Max Gersh

After a nights rest in tents, we continued on with a slight detour to Rock Island State Park.

Rock Island State Park ©2011 Max Gersh

And yes. We tasted the water running down the rock face. Wonderful.

After making it to Clarksville, we were ready to get some food and a little bit of rest. But a little bird had to sit on a wire right in front of the moon. One more photo before dinner.

A cardinal sits on a power line outside of a home in Clarksville, TN. ©2011 Max Gersh

All in all, we drove 2,500 miles in one week. Well worth it. I only wish I had more time to explore.

For me, film represents everything I love about photography. Don’t get me wrong. Digital sensors have completely revolutionized photography - especially photojournalism.

But where would we be today without digital? Film photography is more that an art form. It is a science. It takes knowledge to be a professional. Today, anyone with a load of cash can buy the latest and greatest gear. There is no need to worry about messing up. If a picture turns out poorly, it can be erased. All you need to do is check your local CraigsList postings to see how many “professionals” there are now.

Generally speaking, it takes an antiquated professional to know what I am talking about when I say “reciprocity failure” or if I mention the Scheimpflug principle. Many folks don’t know the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens. Thought and creativity has vastly left photography for many shooters.

After getting my Hasselblad recently, I decided to go through some of my film from the past. I scanned a few 4×5 positives that I shot a few years ago on a Sinar large format camera.

A Lego man shot super macro to fill a sheet of 4x5 film. ©2010 Max Gersh

I remember the challenge I had to make this photo. On a large format camera, to focus, you extend the bellows between the lens and the film. To achieve this close of a focus, my bellows were over four feet long and the entire camera rig was supported by three tripods. Remember, this image filled a 4×5 inch sheet of film. This is MANY times greater than life size.

Once I acquired focus, the lighting was another challenge. I had to fire off my strobes about 15 times to build up enough light.

Misc. China things shot on a Sinar 4x5 camera representing the Scheimpflug principle. ©2010 Max Gersh

This picture may seem somewhat bland on its face, but it showcases the Scheimpflug principle - a way of focusing on a plane rather than by distance.

This picture also is gearing me up for one of my hopes of 2010 - to visit Shanghai, China for the World Expo. I’d love to be sent there on assignment but I might settle for a personal visit. Shanghai is truly one of the greatest cities I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.

So, in summary, my goals for 2010 are:

1. Visit China again
2. Shoot more film

Two things. I should be able to handle that.

My challenge to the rest of the world - take time taking pictures. Think about what you’re doing. Try something different. Slow down and make nice images. The rest of the world will appreciate it.

If you read my last post, you know that I was testing out a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M.

The results are in.

Photos shot on a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M at the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

Photos shot on a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M at the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

Photos shot on a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M at the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

Photos shot on a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M at the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

Photos shot on a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M at the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

Not too shabby. This is looking more and more like it might be the next camera added to my collection.

I shot one roll of 120 Kodak TMAX 100. The only problem was that I was running that through a Hasselblad A24 back , designed for 220 film. It seems like the first few frames didn’t wind fully and overlapped. Afterward, it was fine.

I’m excited to get this camera and push it to its limits. Hasselblads are rugged imaging devices. They’ve been to the Moon and I think I can find a way to put this one under just as much stress as space travel. I look forward to posting more images from this camera.

I shoot a ton of pictures on my Canon digital system. I have probably shot over one million frames in the last eight years. As much as I love digital photography, it is hard to beat the look of black and white film.

The texture. The latitude. No instant results. It makes you appreciate the roots of photography as well as where technology has taken the medium.

I haven’t shot 35mm film for a while. I have a cheapo Chinese Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) called a Mudan. It shoots on 120 film. However, letting go of a camera that is not on a strap is never a good thing. Bye bye ground glass.

I’ve been keeping my eyes out for a Hasselblad - the supreme camera for shooting 120 film (medium format). I found a used one that I took out for a test drive yesterday.

It is a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M. On the front, I was shooting through a Carl Zeiss 60mm f/4 Distagon lens. Inscribed on the lens mount, it says “MADE IN GERMANY WEST FOR HASSELBLAD.” This camera and lens is a piece of history that will keep on recording.

I took a road trip down to Potosi, MO to visit the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to run a roll of film through it. I fired off twelve frames of Kodak TMAX 100 and I can’t wait to see the results.

A Hasselblad 500 C/M set up on a tripod overlooking a stream in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

Trying to replicate the image I was about to make on a Hasselblad 500 C/M in Potosi, MO at the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch. ©2009 Max Gersh

Looking down at the ground glass of a 1976 Hasselblad 500 C/M at a stream in Potosi, MO. ©2009 Max Gersh

It’s not too often that I go wandering through cemeteries. They always give me a creepy vibe. I can’t help but notice the fresh dirt and wonder if something just went in or just came out.

Earlier this week, my girlfriend (who doesn’t quite have an obsession with cemeteries) asked me to go with her to Miles Mausoleum (apparently known as one of the most haunted spots in Illinois, but I will get to that later). She actually found it by mistake a few months ago. She was driving around Columbia, Ill. looking for photo ops when she saw it on top of a bluff.

It is about a 30-45 minute drive from our house. After getting off of the interstate, you wind down a long road until there is nothing but farmland and a few hills. Then you turn off the main road and go up one of those hills. Eventually you turn down what looks like a gravel driveway. At the end of the drive, you pass through two wooden posts that serve as entry gates to the cometary.

As you enter the cemetery, there is a sign that gives a brief history:

Eagle Cliff / Miles Cemetery
Eagle cliff graveyard was established as a public graveyard on land donated by Truman Miles

The first person to be buried in Eagle Cliff Graveyard was Rachel Bond, wife of Judge Shadrach Bond, Sr. on March 17, 1806.

The vault was built for Stephen W. Miles, in 1858, by Major Yrasillon for the sum of $25,000.

The most recent burial was Charles Louer in 1978.

The cemetery is restored and maintained by, Eagle Cliff / Miles Cemetery, Inc. founded in 1994.

The first thing I noticed as I was walking around was the age and condition of the tombstones. First off, they were somewhat scattered everywhere. Some of them had been severely vandalized. Others were just rocks serving as grave markers.

The next thing that caught my eye were the military tombstones. Most of them had been replaced by the state with newer stones. There are soldiers buried here from the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812 and The Civil War. There could be others but not all the graves are accounted for.

After wandering through the graveyard, we finally got to the bluff where the mausoleum is buried into the land. My girlfriend told me that it had become a popular spot for teenagers to get drunk at all hours of the day so we weren’t sure what we would find. Fortunately there was no one hiding in the crypts but the amount of graffiti was disturbing.

Okay. So why is this place haunted. The legend goes that the brush grew so thick on this bluff that the cemetery and mausoleum were forgotten for many years. In the 1960’s, it was rediscovered and people looted the tomb (only 11 of 56 total vaults were ever used). The bodies were found scattered all over the place. Shortly there after, a cult took the remaining bodies outside of the mausoleum and lit them on fire trying to raise them from the dead.

Is this true? I have no idea. I got the information from this guy. I think he got it from The Daily Egyptian, the student paper for Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, who wrote this article about the cemetery in 2002. It makes a great story though.

And so the legend lives on.